Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer suggests that President Joe Biden should take a cognitive test to prove his fitness to serve. The call for a test comes amid a new poll showing that a large majority of Americans want Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has suggested that President Joe Biden undergo a cognitive test to prove his mental fitness to serve as president.
Whitmer made the suggestion in an interview on Wednesday, saying, "I don't think it would hurt" for Biden to take a test.
Biden Faces Growing Pressure to Undergo Cognitive Test
The governor's comments come amid growing concerns about Biden's cognitive abilities. A recent poll found that a large majority of Americans, including a majority of Biden's own supporters, believe that he is too old to serve a second term.
The poll, conducted by ABC News and The Washington Post, found that 67% of respondents believe Biden should drop out of the race. Additionally, 85% said he is too old to serve out a second term.
Biden Faces Growing Pressure to Undergo Cognitive Test
The poll also found that 60% of respondents believe former President Donald Trump is too old for a second term, up from 44% in the spring of 2023.
Among Democrats and voters who said they lean Democratic, 62% said Biden needs to drop out of the race. Even among self-professed Biden supporters, 54% said he needs to drop out.
Biden Faces Growing Pressure to Undergo Cognitive Test
Despite the poll findings, Biden and Trump are virtually tied in the presidential race, with 46% saying they would vote for the current president and 47% saying they support Trump.
The poll comes as Biden faces a growing number of defections from Democratic lawmakers and his donor class. A number of House lawmakers have called on him to step aside, and the first Democratic senator, Peter Welch of Vermont, did the same on Wednesday.
Biden Faces Growing Pressure to Undergo Cognitive Test
Meanwhile, celebrity actor George Clooney led an exodus of top donors and influences on Wednesday, publishing a New York Times op-ed saying he had no confidence in Biden's ability to serve a second term.
Biden has vowed to remain in the race despite rising concerns and calls for him to drop out and let another candidate take on Trump.
"There’s been a lot of speculation: What’s Joe going to do? Is he going to stay in the race? Is he going to drop out? What's he going to do?" Biden said Friday in a speech in Madison, Wisconsin. "Well, here’s my answer: I am running and going to win again."
The White House has defended Biden's mental fitness, saying that he is in good health and that his doctor has given him a clean bill of health.
However, the growing calls for Biden to take a cognitive test suggest that concerns about his mental abilities are not going away. It remains to be seen whether Biden will ultimately agree to take a test, but the pressure on him to do so is likely to continue.
